The present invention relates to a device for incorporation into an automatic cash transaction device for processing a card such as a cash card or the like, and in particular relates to such a card processing device which incorporates a mechanism for, in the event of failure of electrical power supply while a card is currently inserted into the device, automatically ejecting the card which is currently being processed to the outside and returning it to the customer.
An automatic cash transaction device such as a cash dispenser or an automatic teller machine is generally equipped with a card reader for reading data on cards which are provided to the users of the machine, i.e. to the customers of the institution providing the machine. Such data typically include the identification of the user, and may further include such additional data as credit rating and so on. In the content of this specification in the following, by the way, the use of the term "card reader" is to be taken as generically including other possible functions of such a device such as writing information on the card (which may be very important in the case of a so called "smart card" or the like), and is intended to refer in general to any device which processes such a card.
Such an automatic cash card transaction device, when a transaction is initiated by a user, typically starts its processing when a user's card is inserted through an input slot or the like into its interior, and then performs certain operations such as reading data which are impressed magnetically or otherwise on the card. At this time the card is no longer accessible to the user, because it has been removed from his or her reach. Once the transaction has been completed, the device then returns the card automatically, either through the insertion slot or through an output slot or other aperture. However, the problem has arisen that, if the supply of commercial power to the cash transaction device fails during the processing of a transaction after the user's card has been inputted into the interior of the device, then not only is the transaction interrupted and very likely aborted, but also it is likely that due to the failure of driving power the user's card will remain inside the cash transaction device and will become unavailable to him or her for as long as the interruption of power lasts. This naturally can be very troublesome, since the user may have urgent business elsewhere and may not have the time or inclination to remain in the vicinity of the cash transaction machine until the power supply is restored, and accordingly the user may become separated from his or her card for some time even due to a relatively short electrical stoppage of some few minutes. This albeit temporary loss of the card can lead to great difficulty for the user in obtaining cash from any such cash transaction device for some time, and further can lead to the user mistrusting the financial institution issuing the card and maintaining the cash transaction device; and such mistrust is liable to persist for a long time period.